Legislative Updates

The new instrument amends "a series of instruments relating to the Government’s temporary skilled migration program to ensure that they are consistent with amendments made to the Regulations by the Amendment Regulations. These instruments provide for matters relating to visa eligibility criteria, skills assessments, assessing authorities, the Australian values statement, and the specification of income threshold and annual earnings."

The new instrument specifies the language test requirements for an applicant to the Specialist Skills stream and Core Skills stream of the Subclass 482 (Skills in Demand) visa

The new instrument expands the Frequent Traveller stream under subclass 600 to several countries, and also makes changes relating to Chinese nationals

"The amendments of the Skilling Australians Fund Regulations are necessary to ensure that the nomination training contribution charge that currently applies to the Temporary Skill Shortage visa will apply to..."

The new regulations "give effect to key commitments made by the Government in the Migration Strategy, released on 11 December 2023, that concern Australia’s temporary skilled migration system. In particular, the Amendment Regulations: implement the Subclass 482 (Skills in Demand) visa, which replaces the Subclass 482 (Temporary Skill Shortage) visa as ..."

The new regulations amend the Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth) to "to cease certain bridging visas, held by a non-citizen if they have been determined by the Foreign Minister or their delegate, as a person whose presence in Australia may be directly or indirectly associated with ..."

The "Amendment Regulations also establish the need for National Innovation (Class BX) applicants to be ..., and require the visa applicant to produce equivalent record of ..."

The purpose of the new instrument "is to ensure that Australia continues to attract the best and brightest global talents and to drive growth in sectors of national importance as specified under paragraph 858.212(2)(a) of Schedule 2 to the Migration Regulations"

The Bill amends the Migration Act 1958 (the Migration Act) to strengthen the legislative framework in the Act relating to the removal from Australia of certain non-citizens who are on a removal pathway. This includes unlawful non-citizens as well as non-citizens who hold certain bridging visas, including the Subclass 070 (Bridging (Removal Pending)) visa.

Among other things, the Bill "amends the Migration Act 1958 (the Migration Act) to strengthen the legislative framework relating to the removal from Australia of certain non-citizens who are on a removal pathway. The Bill amends the Migration Act to support ongoing effective management of holders of a Subclass 070 (Bridging (Removal Pending)) visa (BVR) in the community and facilitate arrangements for their removal to receiving countries"